Spring-governor for vehicles.



W. E. TRUFANT. SBRINGGOVERNOR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1906. I

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

VJ'ALTER E. TR'UFZANT, OE WHITMAN,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HARTFORD SUSPENSION COMPANY OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPRIN (Li-GOVERNOR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Zetters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25,1913.

Application filed December 8, 1906. Serial No. 346,865.

. i "3 To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, I-Vanrnn E. Tnoran'r, of Whitman, in the county of Plymouth and State of hlassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Governo'rs for Vehicles, at which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to friction devices for checking the excessive action of vehicle springs when driving, especially in automobiles, over rough or uneven roads, and consists in friction surfaces so arranged that free movement of the springs is allowed up to a certain point after which the retarding means operate to prevent undue lurching of the vehicle or strain on the springs, it also provides tor the exerting of a greater retarding effect in one direction than in the other, and in other details all of which will'be describeth and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows my invention applied to'a vehicle having a full elliptical sprin Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of my governor,illustrating the position of the parts on the com pression of the vehicle spring incident to approach of the vehicle parts, F 3 is acentral longitudinal sectional view taken on a plane at about right angles to the plane of Fig. 2 and showing the positionof the parts upon a separation of the vehicle parts. Fig. 4 shows a form of spring which may be used on the friction disk, Fig. 5 is a hori zontal cross sectional view of a modification of the friction disk nut actuator, and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the same.

In Fig. 1 (IV is the frame of the vehicle 5 the axle and 0 the spring, d h 70 is the governor pivoted to the frame and axle by the bolts'a and b respectively, so that motion of the spring in all directions is provided for.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4, d is the enlarged top or disk holder of the governor provided with the ears (Z (Z to connect it to the frame of the vehicle and bored out to contain the friction disks and tapped to receive the enlarged threaded head 72 of the barrel h and is splincd at d 5. At the top of the recess in d is the spring '6 held in place by the pin 0 and bearing on the disk f. The.

disk is prevented from rotating by the ears 7" f which enter the splines d d 'but is free to move axially. Between the disk f and the head 72. is the disk 2' above which is the disk of leather or other friction material 9 and below is another diskor washer of the same material. The disk 2' is provided with.

the hub 1' to which the spiral bar 2' is fixed. This bar extends into the barrel is said barrel being telescoped into the barrel h". Rotary movement of the barrel is is prevented by a fastening bolt through the hole 6 in the ear lr Rigidly secured in the top of s the barrel 7.: is the nut or head 70 containing the slot [03 through which passes the bar '5 When the governor is in use all vertical movement of the body of the vehicle relative to the axle causes an axial movement in the telescope joint between the barrels. For a short distance this movement will preferably be unresisted, in the illustat-ion the twisted bar is a loose fit in the slot in the head 7."? but beyond what is provided for in this way such movement must be accompanied by turning ot'thc bar as it slides in the nut and this movement is retarded by the resistance of the bar to rotate in the barrels caused by the friction on the disk i. The amount of friction on the disk is regulated by loosening the screw (Z and screwing in or .out the barrel and head It h It is desirable to have much less resistance to the closing of the vehicle springs or downward movement of the body than to the upward movement and this I accomplish by placing the tension spring 0 above the disks so that as the spring of the vehicle is com pressed the governoris shortened. as shown in Fig. 3 and the resistance of the disk to revolvecauses the nut is to exert a lifting pressure on the bar 1' which tends to conr press the spring 0 and lift the disk 2'. off the friction surface y', as shown. and on the upward movement of the body the resistance to the disk turning caused by the pull of the nut is added to instead of beingv subtracted from the normal resistance.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, m is the nut and m m are rolls on each side of the slot m so as to, when desirable, reduce the friction at this point.

I make the pitch of the twisted bar sli htl'y less ,near the ends and flatten it slightly near the center so that the resistance will be increased as the limits ot vehicle sprang action is approached, but in my device-there is always a neutral position which 'is automatically reached that allows some of a disk holder, two non-rotary friction members in said holder, one of said members being tree to move toward and from the other memben'a disk between said members, means tending to keep said members and disk in yielding contact, and a spiral bar for rotating said disk to retard the action of the spring.

.2. In a vehicle spring governor, the combination of a holder, two non'rotary friction members in said holder, one of said members being free tomove toward and "from the vehicle body, a rotatable friction member between said non-rotary members, one of said non-rotary members being adapted to move away from said rotatable member hpon' the downward .movement of the vehicle body for reducing the friction between said non-rotary members and said rotatable member, and means for rotatingsaid rotatable member for retarding the ac- I tionof the vehicle spring.

3. In a vehicle spring governor, thecombinationoi a holder, two non-rotary friction members in said holder, one of said members being adapted to move toward and from the other member, a rotatable friction member between said non-rotary members, a tension spring tending to keep said members in contact and being located in position to yield for reducing the pressure between said members on the downward movement of the vehicle spring" and for permitting maximum pressure upon the rebound, means for adjusting thepreisnre of said tension spring, and means for rotating said rotatable member for retarding the action of the vehicle sprin t. In a sprin governor, the combination of telescoping barrels, one of said barrels containing two non-rotary friction members, one of said members being free to move toward and from the other member, a disk between said members, means tending to keep said members and disk in yielding contact, and a spiral bar for rotating said disk to retard the action of the spring.

5. In a spring governor, the combination of telescoping barrels, one'ofsaid barrels containing two non-rotary friction mem-- hers, one of said members being free to move toward and from the other member, a disk between. said members, a tension spring tending to keep said members and disk in contact, and means for rotating said disk to retard the action of the spring.

6. In a spring governor, the combination of telescoping barrels, one of said barrels containing two non-rotary friction members, one ofsaid members being free to move toward and from the other member, a-disk between said members, a tension spring tending to keep said members and disk in contact, means for adjusting the pressure on said tension spring, and means for rotat. ing said disk to retard the action of the spring.

'7. In a spring governor, the combination of two telescoping barrels, one of said bar rels containing a friction surface, a rotary friction disk in contact with said surface, means for adjusting the pressure between said surface and disk, a nut in the other barrel, and a spiral bar on said disk engaging said nut to rotate said disk.

8. In a spring governor,.the combination of two telescoping barrels,-one of said barrels containing a friction surface, a rotary friction disk in contact with said surface, a nut in the other barrel, and a spiral bar on said disk engaging said nut to rotate said disk.

9. A spring governor consisting of two telescoping barrels, a nut carried by one of said barrels, an adjustable friction device composed of disks in the other barrel, and means between said nut and friction device to revolve one of said disks and retard the axial movement of said barrels.

10. In a spring governor, the combination of a vehicle spring, telescoping barrels con-- taining a rotating friction disk, the friction disk, and means for rotating said. disk by the action of said spring.

11. The combination in. a vehicle, of a body, an axle for carrying said body, a spring between said body and axle, a friction surface connected to said body, a slotted nut connected to said axle, and a friction surface haying a spiral bar extending normal to said surface, said bar having less pitch as the end is approached whereby said disk caused to revolve relatively farther as the limit of the springs action. is approached.

12. In a vehicle spring governor, the combination with a pair of telescopic barrels, said barrels being respectively constructedand adapted for connection to portions of a vehicle spring movable one relatively to the other, two non-rotary friction members located within one of said barrels, one of said members being free to move toward. and from the other member, a disk located between said members, mi ins tending, to keep said members and disk in yielding licontact,

an engaging member carried by the otherb't said barrels, and aspiral bar in engagement w1th' sa1 d',engaging member for rotating said disk to retard the action of the vehicle spring. 1

13. In arvehicle spring governor, the combination of two non-rotary friction mem- 5 hers, one of said members being free to move toward and from the other member in the line of the direction of spring movement, a friction member between said nonrotary members and rotatable on an axis 10 parallel with the said line, means tending to normally keep said non-rotary members and said rotatable member in contact, and means for rotating said rotatable member upon the action of the spring for retarding same.

In testimony whereof I have afi'ixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

WALTER E. TRUFANT. 

